Kamala Harris hammers Donald Trump in first trip back to Pennsylvania following debate

Kamala Harris returned to Pennsylvania on Friday following this week’s strong debate performance and hammered Donald Trump on reproductive rights and stripping healthcare from millions of Americans.  

Thousands of Pennsylvanians traveled from across Eastern Pennsylvania and packed Wilkes University’s McHale Auditorium on Friday to welcome Harris on her first trip back to the commonwealth following Tuesday’s debate with Donald Trump. 

Coming off an extremely strong debate performance, Harris went on the offensive in Wilkes-Barre and attacked the former president for rolling back reproductive rights. 

“On the issue of fundamental rights and freedoms, we remember how [Trump] selected those members of the Supreme Court to undo Roe v. Wade,” Harris said.

“They did just as he intended. And what we have seen is in state after state they passed laws to criminalize healthcare providers, to punish women and now more than 20 states have a Trump abortion ban. Many with no exceptions for rape and incest, which is immoral to tell a survivor of a violation to their body that they don’t have a right to make a decision about what happens to their body next.”

Harris also hit Trump for wanting to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which helps millions of Pennsylvanians with preexisting conditions to protect their access to healthcare, and having no plans to replace it.

“On top of all of this, Donald Trump intends to end the Affordable Care Act,” Harris said.

“Let’s remember, we’re not here with Trump amnesia. We remember when he was president, he tried 60 times to end the Affordable Care Act, and as he said in the debate just this week, he has no plan to replace it.”

“He said he has ‘concepts of a plan.’ Concepts of a plan, no actual plan. So let’s just think about this for a moment. He’s going to threaten health insurance for the 45 million people who rely on it based on a concept.”

Friday’s rally was Harris’ first trip to Northeastern Pennsylvania since President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race in July and her 12th visit since coming to office in 2020. 

The trip was part of the campaign’s “New Way Forward” tour through the important battleground states and included stops in traditional Republican areas. Prior to her visit to Luzerne County, Harris stopped in Johnstown, both areas that Trump has carried in the previous elections. 

During her speech, Harris hit Trump for wanting to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which protects healthcare access for millions of Pennsylvania residents, without having an actual plan to help Americans once it’s gone. 

Harris capped off her speech by saying that there is still work to be done to win the upcoming election, and warned Americans about the unchecked powers Trump will have if he wins in November. 

“We are the underdog. Let’s remember that and know that. When we know how they play, we are the underdog and we have some very hard work ahead of us,” Harris said.

“So much is on the line in this election. We all know and remember. This is not 2016 or 2020. The stakes are even higher than they were then because two months ago the US Supreme Court essentially told the former president that he will effectively be immune no matter what he does if he gets back into the White House. Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails. Imagine what that might mean. He has vowed that if reelected he would be a dictator on day one.”